Through the use of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and other discovery protocols such as Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP), it is possible for a Network Management System (NMS) to discover the topology of a network. However, there is a limitation in such an approach as the devices in the network cannot be discovered if they are on a private network as defined by RFC 1918 of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
The present invention addresses the need for a system and method for discovering the devices within a private network by an NMS not contained within the private network.